When the third stronghold emerged from the blurred lines of the horizon, Damien furrowed his eyebrows and halted the march of his summoned monsters.

The military installation was large, but what troubled him was the scattered Aetheric Weapons. One alone could decimate Behemoth, and several stood alongside the fortress.

"This is troublesome..." he muttered under his breath, visibly annoyed.

Standing behind him was the Prothonean, who observed the stronghold and remarked. "They are prepared against our forces, Lord Oberon."

"Not only did they scatter their Aetheric Weapons, but they are also utilizing constructs. It seems that the instant defeat of the second stronghold made them cautious."

Hearing Proton's words, Damien nodded in agreement and added. "This would mean that the vampires operating the stronghold are either somewhere or deep underground."

"Correct, I believe we should do the same so that they won't concentrate their power. Sir Ddraig should swoop from the heavens and destroy these Aetheric Weapons."

"After all, it appears they remain unaware of why a thick white fog follows us from behind," Proton suggested to its master.

"That makes sense." Damien nodded and commanded his monster army not to consolidate in one single location. In mere seconds, the gargantuan monsters rearranged themselves.

Orochi, Fenrir, Behemoth, and Eclipse stood dozens of meters away from one another. There was some distance between each massive monster.

But he didn't merely follow Proton's suggestion. After all, there was much they could do than storm the stronghold to the death.

As the strongest monsters reached their positions, he ordered every one of them to utilize their AOE abilities.

Whether it'd be the surging poisonist mist, a grandiose storm, the rumbling of earth, or the carving of reality's fragment.

Through the eyes of various constructs scattered throughout the third stronghold, the vampire commander and officers saw the world transforming before their eyes.

"What the hell!" The commander muttered under his breath, baffled at the sight. What terrified him the most was the descending blade of the giant pitch-black lady.

"Sir, we must evacuate! This is not a matter of technical or military superiority. Only True Bloods could defeat them." An officer suggested, as the others nodded in agreement.

Against these gargantuan monsters, they stood no chance. It wasn't a matter of morale, but a matter of fact.

If they kept defending, all of them would lose their lives. The results wouldn't change, and perhaps they were nothing but a hindrance.

The commander furrowed his eyebrows, somewhat hesitant. However, he understood their reasoning, which was why he sighed to himself.

"Prepare to evacuate, use the underground tunnels!" He commanded as the officers felt relieved deep within their hearts. Most thought that he would be stubborn.

"Pull the trigger of the Aetheric Weapons. I want all of them firing!" What followed were his next orders, to which everyone nodded wholeheartedly.

The damage the Aetheric Weapons could bring would buy them enough time. But as the weapon specialists were about to pull the trigger.

The jet-black blade of Eclipse fully descended onto the earth. What followed was the world rumbling as the concrete walls and ceilings crumbled.

It was cleaved apart. From the ground to the stormy heavens, and beyond. All were divided into two perfect halves.

"What the-" The commander and officers couldn't even adequately react as devastation enveloped them in an instant. But sheer terror consumed them for a second.

It was the same terror when an executioner's blade descended upon the condemned.

One single moment. Just like the two strongholds beforehand. The third disappeared from the world, leaving behind Aetheric Weapons, who fired back.

Energy hummed as it pierced through the air. But before it could reach the monster army, Ddriag descended from above and flapped its wings.

Space bent, deflecting the dense line of aether, carving up mountains and desolate lands along the way.

After defending its master, the Mechanized Draconic God roared, a beam surging out of its jaw and slashing across the several Aetheric Weapons, who collapsed into rubble.

The entire land was filled to the brim with poisonous mist, a dazzling storm, cracked earth, and finally, a deep ravine that stretched into the horizon.

It was complete destruction, the result of three and four-star Monsters using their powerful capabilities together.

Damien watched as nothing was left behind. It was a horrific sight of devastation, rivalling that of cataclysms of impossible magnitude.

The only ones who could rival him were the strongest of each species, from the Paragons of Humanity and the True Bloods of the Vampires.

"What a sight..." he mumbled to himself while staring at the devastated landscape. "We just carved a new landscape in mere moments."

"Our power alone could flatten an entire city with ease." Damien sighed to himself, feeling somewhat indifferent. After all, personally, he wasn't capable of unleashing such power.

"In any case, what we did would probably attract the complete attention of the Clan. After all, not only did we destroy their northern strongholds."

"We also terraformed their land." Above him, the heavens calmed as the skies cleared of any storms. It was a clearing spot amidst the consuming clouds that enveloped the lower New World.

"But it could also be an opportunity, my lord. A chance to increase the master's prestige and reputation." Proton remarked, earning Damien's confused expression

"What can I even do with prestige? It doesn't seem to be that helpful at all." To him, it was nothing more than an annoyance. After all, many would know of him and probably bother him.

"I understand your reasons, Lord Oberon. However, prestige can avoid confrontations. Especially when the party knows of your capabilities."

"It sets negotiations before discussions even start. It ensures that the smart and dangerous ones would steer clear of your highness."

"Just as the prestige of the Seventh Paragon as the strongest of humanity looms over all as its pillar and reminder of who stands at the very pinnacle."

After hearing Proton's pep talk, a subtle smile molded Damien's face. In his path of uncovering the mysteries and becoming strong, annoyance was unavoidable.

Better be annoyed by dumb weaklings than be bothered by smart weaklings. Especially when there were many more things people could do without actually confronting their adversary.

"I guess you're right about that." Damien rubbed the back of his head and continued. "Let's continue, shall we? To the last target of this operation."

Beyond the blurred horizon, further south, was the final bastion that separated the outer layers of the Clan from the southern frontier.

It might be the strongest stronghold that guarded the north, filled with technologies more advanced than the ones before it.

As the last defense line of the Clan's northern borders, the three strongholds were nothing more than its buffers.

True Bloods were deployed to defend it, since a breach would result in the first collapse and True incursion of the Clan territory.

To be honest... Damien doubted that the same strategies he used beforehand would be adequate against the True Bloods or the final northern bastion.

He would need to be much more cautious; otherwise, the True Bloods could target him from Eclipse's head.

It wasn't out of the possibilities since Blood Techniques were no different from Brands in terms of capabilities. Some nonsensical power probably existed alongside the True Bloods.

However, before the monster army could continue its march towards the final bastion, Damien closed his eyelids and felt the chiming of notifications.

They had become instinctively muted so as to not distract him from reality.

But regardless, they were a sign that his status had undergone a massive change. Perhaps the result of the third stronghold's destruction. With this in mind, Damien opened his eyes.

A single thought commanded his status display to surface.

And it did.

The bluish glow of its surface reflected on his face as he observed his status details with a scrutinizing gaze.

---

| Monster Gacha System |

-| Boss Title : [ Oberon ] |

-| Monster(s) : Three-Star EX Monster: Eclipse(Idol), Three-Star EX Monster: Starlight, Two-Star EX Monster: Great Devourer, Two-Star EX Monster: Neurophages, One-Star EX Monster: Prothonian, Two-Star TE Monster: Silhouettes, Four-Star TE Monster: Mechanized Draconic God, Two-Star TE Monster: Garmr, Three-Star TE Monster: Griffin, Two-Star TE Monster: Tarasque, Two-Star TE Monster: Great Serpent, Three-Star TE Monster: Fenrir, Three-Star TE Monster: Behemoth, Three-Star TE Monster: Orochi, Two-Star TE Monster: Heavenly Bull, One-Star PA Monster: Banshee, Two-Star PA Monster: Oni, Two-Star PA Monster: Dullahan, One-Star PA Monster: Shadow Hound, One-Star PA Monster: Onryo |

-| Skill Index : Raptured Blink(Eclipse Passive), Intangible Fracture(Eclipse), Cryptic Eyes of Dominion(Eclipse Passive), Dreams of Eternity(Starlight), Void Maw(Great Devourer), Ancient Wisdom(Prothonean), Hive Assimilation(Neurophages), Duplex Operation(Silhouettes), Machine Awakening(Mechanized Draconic God), Machine Control(Mechanized Draconic God), Draconic Dominion(Mechanized Draconic God), Chains of Infernal Judgment(Garmr), Sinful Gaze(Garmr), Empyrean Overwatch(Griffin), Majesty(Griffin), Carapace of Legends(Tarasque), Extreme Constriction(Great Serpent), Petrification(Great Serpent), Bond Breaker(Fenrir), Tempest Destroyer(Fenrir), Tectonic Steps(Behemoth), Venoms of Eightfold Death(Orochi), Celestial Charge(Heavenly Bull), Wailing Death(Banshee), Demonic Strength(Oni), Mark of Death(Dullahan), Hunting Darkness(Shadow Hound), Curse of Vengeance(Onryo) |

-| Command Seal(s): [ 202/250 ] |

<| Terror Point(s) : 3350 -> 5897 |>

---

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.